Pages

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Review: Cat Nap by Claire Donally

Blurb: Let sleeping cats lie…

Kittery Harbor, Maine, may not be a hotbed of criminal activity, but Sunny Coolidge and her feline companion, Shadow, have a knack for nosing out trouble. While Shadow copes with a sore paw and an irritating puppy invading his turf, Sunny gets mixed up in a financial dispute between rival vets and ex-spouses Jane and Martin Rigsdale. Sunny agrees to help Jane confront Martin about his moneygrubbing ways, only to find herself caught at the scene of a crime: Martin has been murdered.

Though Jane is pegged as the lead suspect in the investigation, Martin, with his greedy ways and his catting around, did not have a shortage of enemies. Did a scorned lover or cheated creditor put Martin down for good? It’s time for Sunny and Shadow to team up again, sniff out a killer, and clear Jane’s name before someone decides to put them to sleep, too.

My Review: Cat Nap, the second Sunny and Shadow Mystery, is the story of two vets, recently divorced Jane and Martin Rigsdale. The crime-solving duo gets involved in the couple's financial disputes when Shadow ends up at the vet after injuring his paw on a winter excursion and Jane vents about her problems. When she decides to confront Martin one night she asks Sunny to go with her as backup, where they find Martin "put to sleep" on a cold metal exam table. In spite of numerous romantic entanglements and the fact that he's been laundering money for Ukrainian mobsters, Jane becomes the prime suspect and Sunny is once again asked to help solve the murder.

As someone who has cared for ailing parents, I really enjoy the relationship Sunny has with her dad Mike, and how Shadow has made their little house a home, as every cat does. Mike's "friend" Mrs. Martinson is a fun character, and Shadow's thoughts on her new "Biscuit Eater" (aka puppy) are hysterical. But when the little guy overreacts to the situation and leaves home, he soon finds himself in the clutches of a killer. Once the final revelation happens, I have to admit this is a case where I can understand the killer's motives.

This is one of my favorite cat cozy series on the shelves today. A special kitty and a fun cast of human characters set in one of my favorite locales for a cozy, Maine in winter, make this a must read for all ailurophiles.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the request for a review.